Philippine's President-Elect Makes Private Visit To Australia

Philippine's president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made a low-key private visit to Australia, his spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

"It's a private trip made by President-elect Bongbong with his family … and yes it was confirmed by our ambassador to Australia," his spokesperson Vic Rodriguez told a press briefing in Manila.

The visit was kept under the wraps, but was discovered by members of the Filipino community in Melbourne, who gathered outside an apartment complex to protest his presence, according to local media.

Rodriguez said the president-elect, the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos who died in exile in Hawaii in 1989 after being ousted by a popular uprising, is due to return to Manila on Thursday.

Marcos' youngest son Vincent is said to be enrolling to study at the University of Melbourne.

He also received a phone call from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who congratulated him on winning the presidential election, the spokesperson added.

The 64-year-old won the presidency with nearly 59% of the votes, (31 million votes) last week, and will be sworn into office next month.

Writing by Islamuddin Sajid -